Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception

Origin

The historical roots tied to this feast lead back to the 19th century. 171 years ago, on December 8, 1854, Pope Pius IX proclaimed this dogma of the Catholic faith in the Apostolic Constitution “Ineffabilis Deus”. It reads: “The doctrine which holds that the Most Blessed Virgin Mary, in the first instant of her conception, by a singular grace and privilege of almighty God, in view of the merits of Jesus Christ, the Savior of the human race, was preserved immune from every stain of original sin, has been revealed by God and therefore must be firmly and inviolably believed by all the faithful.” Three years later, in 1857, the Pontiff blessed and inaugurated the monument of the Immaculate in Piazza di Spagna, near the Spanish Steps in Rome.

Fifty years after the publication of “Ineffabilis Deus”, Pope Pius X recalled in the encyclical “Ad diem illum laetissimum” that Pius IX “declared and proclaimed, as a divine revelation by the authority of the apostolic magisterium, that Mary was, from the first instant of her conception, entirely free from original sin.”The encyclical explains that “if peoples believe and profess that the Virgin Mary was preserved from every contamination, then they must also acknowledge original sin, the restoration of humanity accomplished by Jesus Christ, the Gospel, the Church, and finally even the very law of suffering.”

In the Apostolic Constitution “Munificentissimus Deus” (1950), Pope Pius XII defined that “the Immaculate Mother of God, the ever-Virgin Mary, having completed the course of her earthly life, was assumed body and soul into heavenly glory.” This dogma of the Assumption—celebrated on 15 August—is closely linked to that of the Immaculate Conception. “By an entirely unique privilege,” the 1950 Constitution states, “she conquered sin with her immaculate conception; therefore, she was not subject to the law of remaining in the corruption of the tomb, nor did she have to await the redemption of her body until the end of the world.”

In 1958, Pope John XXIII went to Piazza di Spagna and laid a basket of white roses at the foot of the monument to the Virgin—a tradition that his successors continue. On the feast of the Immaculate Conception, 8 December, 1960, the Pontiff called Mary Immaculate the morning star that scatters “the darkness of the dark night.”

The Catholic doctrine concerning Mary’s immaculate conception and exalting her splendor is familiar to every good Christian: a delight and enchantment for the noblest souls. It is found in the liturgy, in the voices of the Fathers of the Church, in the longing sighs of many hearts eager to honor her. [1]

Miracles and Testimonies

• The Miraculous Medal (1830) - St. Catherine Labouré saw Mary in an apparition, asking for a medal to be made with the inscription "O Mary, conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to thee". This medal has since been linked to numerous graces, cures, and conversions, earning its name.
• The Miracle of Empel (1585) - During a battle, Spanish soldiers found a wooden image of the Immaculate Conception, prayed to her, and an icy wind froze the river, allowing them to cross and win a decisive victory, leading to her patronage of Spain.
• Our Lady of Lourdes (1858) - Mary appeared to St. Bernadette, identifying herself as the "Immaculate Conception," confirming the dogma proclaimed just four years prior.
• Our Lady of Montenero (1345) - A crippled shepherd was miraculously healed after finding and carrying an image of Mary up a mountain, leading to the building of a shrine.

Devotion

Nine months before the Feast of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary (8 September), the Church celebrates the Solemnity of her Immaculate Conception. The Feast was approved in 1476 by Pope Sixtus IV. It was extended to the universal Church by Pope Clement XI in 1708. Acknowledging the belief held for centuries by the Fathers and Doctors of the Church, of councils and his predecessors, Pope Pius IX solemnly proclaimed the Dogma of the Immaculate Conception in 1854: “We declare, pronounce, and define that the doctrine which holds that the most Blessed Virgin Mary, in the first instance of her conception, by a singular grace and privilege granted by Almighty God, in view of the merits of Jesus Christ, the Savior of the human race, was preserved free from all stain of original sin” (Ineffabilis Deus, 1854). [2]

Tradition and devotion intertwine in the “homage” or veneration paid to the Blessed Virgin Mary, on the occasion of the solemnity of the Immaculate Conception, celebrated each year on 8 December. Each year, representatives of the city and various religious and civic organisations pray and offer flowers at the statue of the Virgin in Piazza Mignanelli, near the famous Spanish Steps in the heart of Rome. [3]

Legacy

With Mary’s “yes”, God’s original dream is revived. The “ground” is prepared so that His only-begotten Son, Jesus, might become man in a woman’s womb. Her “yes” comes after a moment of hesitation, bewilderment, but in the end, she assents because to Love that makes a request, one cannot but respond with a love that makes oneself available. Mary, the one who is full of grace, the one who is completely fair, completely pure, all holy, in her shines the beauty of God. She is the masterpiece of God’s love.

But we have all been predestined, we have all been filled with every blessing, we have all been chosen to be holy and immaculate. We do not only “admire” the Virgin Mary, therefore, with tenderness and awe. We are also asked to “imitate” her so that God’s beauty might shine on the earth thanks to the many “yesses” that men and women continue to say today after the example and intercession of Mary, the Immaculate One. [2]